March 19, 2010

• When they conspire, do I make my prayer to You? (Nehemiah 4:7-9)

  Our Father,

  I confess once again when confronted by a threat from the enemy, my initial gut reaction was to become fearful rather than going to You in prayer like Nehemiah and the Israelites did:

  Nehemiah 4:7  But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. 8  And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. 9  And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.

  Nehemiah 4:7  But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, 8  And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. 9  Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them. (KJV)
  
  Forgive, me, Father.

  The past several weeks I've been writing over and over again and again about the opposition we will face. I confess that I thought I was setting a guard against that opposition in prayer – and yet when such opposition raised its head, I confess I was not ready for it. It took me aback. I was just like the man James described who saw himself in the mirror and then went away and forgot. And once again I allowed my feelings to overcome my faith. I forgot! You reminded me that the Spirit you have given me is not a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.

  I was foolish and was behaving so unlike a child of God should. I have known You. I have known Your total sufficiency time and again, and yet I began to panic, even though it was only for a matter of moments. Forgive me, Lord. Yet, I have no need to panic. I had no reason to panic. You are Lord! You are King! You are enthroned in the heavens! Thank You for stilling my soul and showing me You are God. You are God even as false teachers continue in Your church. You are God even as tares grow up with the wheat. You are God even as the devil continues to prowl. Forgive me, Father, for doubting You. Forgive me, Lord, for letting down my guard. Forgive me, O Lord, for becoming fearful when I know I have no need to fear because You are with me always, You will never leave me nor forsake me, and You will never forsake Your own people. How can You forsake Your own children purchased with the precious blood of Your Son? Just as You have always provided all we have needed, You will continue to provide all we need at all times, including this time. How guilty we are of asking, "Is the Lord among us or not?" How guilty am I? Of course You are always among us. Give us eyes to see You when we cannot see You. Give us hearts to believe You when we are tempted to disbelieve. I know You already knew this threat would come before it came. You are the Head of the Church and Your plans will not be thwarted for Your people. All the powers the exist are all under Your supreme reign and You are working all things for Your glory. This is a mystery I cannot begin to fathom, but I have seen Your workings in my own life and in Your people throughout the ages. I again trust You by faith that You are working through all these things so Your Son will receive the preeminence in Your church in spite of the continuing attacks we see day in and day out, day and night. You are for us. Who can be against us? Nothing can separate us from Your love for us in Christ Jesus. Nothing! We are safe in the palm of Your hand. Nothing can snatch us away! Nothing! Amen. Glory to God!

  Thank You, Lord, for drawing me back to Your throne of grace this morning to strengthen me. Whom have I in heaven but You? I confess I am surely in a time of need, as are all Your people who are devoted to You and guarding the deposit of the Gospel. There is a battle going on in our own souls. The flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit with the flesh. There is a battle going on for souls. There is a battle going on in the church. There is a battle going on here at Xanga and Revelife. The devil continues to prowl day and night. He is desperate. So he uses all measures possible, one of which is to come to us as an angel of light. Give us discernment to know the light from the darkness and then strengthen us to step out in faith, not to be unequally yoked, not to have fellowship with the darkness. How can we who have known the glorious light of the Gospel continue to fellowship with those who preach false gospels? Holy Spirit, lead us into all truth. May we test and try all things and prove what is acceptable to You, O Lord. We can have no true fellowship with those who do not trust wholly in Christ's blood shed for our sins once for all. Nor can we have true fellowship with any who do not understand the necessity of the new birth. Our Lord Jesus told us we cannot see the Kingdom of God much less enter it lest we are born again.

  May I continue to gird up the loins of my mind and put on Your whole armor so I might fight against the devil's schemes and quench every one of his fiery darts in the power You provide through Your Word, Your promises, Your Spirit and Your Body, my fellow co-laborers in You. Whenever we shod our feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace, we can be sure the enemy will find a way to distract, dissuade and discourage us with his seemingly endless stream of disinformation. As soon as we come together, we know the devil will try to divide us, much as kept happening in the repair and rebuilding of the wall. The devil is a liar and the father of lies. May all of us continue to gird our waists with Your truth, put on the helmet of salvation and the breastplate of righteousness so we might be discerning, so we might know truth from error, the orthodox from the unorthodox, that we might be able to withstand in the evil day and then having done all, to stand.

  Help me to continue to seek Your truth and soak in Your truth and not entertain the devil's lies. He is shifty and scheming. He would deceive the elect if that were possible. Let me not underestimate his power, yet with that let me remember that greater are You who dwell in me than he who dwells in the world. May I continue to abide in You and in Your Word and You in me so I might stand strong, so my faith might not waver. Help me to continue to plant my roots in Your unchanging, life-giving truth, so I will be a strong tree and not wither and perish. You know I was all but ready to waver and wither and shrink up in fear, but praise You, O God, for planting my feet on the Rock and my heart in Yours once more and helping me to drink once again from You. Your living streams revived me when I was thirsty. I confess I have no life apart from You. I confess I have no strength but in You. Let me not drink in of the broken cisterns and stagnant waters the devil puts before me to draw me away from the narrow way, those lies that would keep me from walking in Your will for me and remaining in Your easy yoke. The devil wants to make Your will for me look burdensome and Your yoke look heavy, but it is his ways that are burdensome and heavy, not Yours. His is a bondage that disguises itself as freedom. His is a way that leads to a suffocating death. Yours is the way to true freedom. Freedom to live to You. Freedom to say yes to You. Freedom to delight to do Your will like our Lord did. There is no freedom in the ways of the devil. Jesus Christ has set me free. I am free now to serve You and free to walk in the works You have ordained for me. Let me put off any and all things that keep me from walking in liberty and freedom in You and remaining in Your easy yoke. Let me offer myself to You as a slave to righteousness rather than remaining a slave to sin, Satan and death.

  When the enemies come again, and surely they will come (and when will they cease coming except when all things are put under Jesus' feet at His second coming?), help me to be ready, not to be moved, not to be shaken, but to be steadfast and sure, knowing my Anchor is holding in the veil and knowing my labor in You is not in vain. Nothing can move or shake Jesus Christ. He is our unchangeable high priest who lives and reigns forever and ever and is seated at Your right hand in glory. Your enemies have no power but what You allow. Yes, the devil has bruised Your heel at the cross, but You rose victorious over him, you bruised his head and defeated him once for all. Satan is a defeated foe, yet he continues to work us woe, to taunt us, much like the enemies we saw who were conspiring against the repair and building of the wall of Jerusalem. Your work continues to be opposed. The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy wherever he is able to get a foothold. May we not allow him even a thought in our minds, but take every thought captive.

  Your desire is to revive Your church but the enemy's desire is opposed to that good desire. He wants to keep the church lethargic, apathetic, lifeless. He wants to keep the church distracted and focused on good works. He wants to keep the church far, far away from tapping into the power of the Holy Spirit. He wants to keep the church locked in a dead orthodoxy. He wants to keep the church seeking emotional experiences without any doctrinal rooting. He wants to keep us from the fullness You have for us! Therefore the enemy will not stop taunting us and plotting together and fighting against those of us who are engaged in the work of Your Kingdom here. Any who seek the welfare of Your bride will be harassed by the devil time and again. Let us be ready for such attacks. Many will work day and night to corrupt the Gospel of grace through Jesus Christ, either making it a gospel of legalism or a gospel of licentiousness, neither of which are the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are saved not of our own works but through Christ's glorious work on the cross. We are saved not to continue in fleshly works, not continue in sin, but we are freed to be holy, freed to walk in the good works You have ordained for us.

  We have no strength to continue the work on the wall apart from Your strength. We have seen the ruins. We are seeking Your face for revival and renewal. We are in desperate need. We know the Church You birthed through Your Spirit has no power apart from a new infusion of power from above, much like we saw happen time and again in the New Testament and throughout Church history. How can we be Your Church apart from the work of Your Spirit breathed life into us in the first place? We can never do the work You have ordained from us apart from the power You provide for us. We are seeking Your Spirit not for emotional experiences, not for a feel-good Christianity, but for power and boldness to proclaim Your truth for Your glory. That is true revival! Apart from Your Spirit, we will remain cowering and fearful, like Peter, as He denied You, Lord, three times. I know that fear. I began to fall into that fear earlier today. I am praying for Your Holy Spirit to fall fresh on me and on Your people, O Lord. Be gracious to us. Rend the heavens and come down upon us. Fall fresh upon us, Holy Spirit. We are all but dead in so many ways. Ignite the flames that are all but quenched now. May we not limit You. Breathe life into our dead bones once again. Do it again, Lord!

  We desire to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. We will labor and strive according to Your working which works in us mightily. Strengthen us and equip us for every good work through Your Holy Spirit, so Christ and Him crucified might be proclaimed boldly and unashamedly by Your people. We need Your Spirit to do that work. Jesus said we would be His witnesses when the Spirit fell. Your Spirit provides us the power to be Your witnesses for He teaches us and speaks of You and glorifies You. In the New Testament Church we see how the Spirit fell and filled Your people again and again. We read of Your commandment to be filled with Your Spirit. Your Spirit comes to us at salvation once to birth us into Your family, yet we can and must ask for additional fillings and be ready for those when You choose to send Your Spirit to us. You have called us out of the world and sent You into the world so we might be Your ambassadors through Your Spirit's power at work in us. May Your Gospel truth cover the earth as the waters cover the seas. There is no other truth but this: Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to You, Father, but by Him. We cannot come to You by our own works. Never! And in the same way, we can never remain in You by our own works or by own power but only by Your power which works in us, the very life of our Savior Jesus Christ who now dwells in us through Your Holy Spirit. May we never give way to any false gospels, may we never assent to any false gospels, but may we continue to fight the good fight of faith by Your resurrection Spirit at work in us. Equip us to preach the Word in season and out of season. Strengthen us by Your grace, O Lord. We have no other power to fight the good fight of faith but Your power.

  You have saved us out of darkness so we might proclaim Your praises, to be a light in the darkness, to publish abroad Your glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Open our mouths, Lord, to speak with the boldness only You can give. Anoint us and baptize us with Your Holy Spirit power and fire. Apart from You we can do nothing. With You we can do all things. Help us to rally to one another in our time of need, so we might stand strong together, united in You, to fight against those who are opposed to Your work here on earth, Your work to take the Gospel to every nation for Your glory.

  We ask all these things for the renown of Your Name in the blessed and wonderful Name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, for Your glory.

  Amen.

  ---

  
  Related posts:

  on devotion to God:

  • Is your faith living – or is it dead? (Isaac Watts)
  • "You shall be holy to Me..." Bible reading: Leviticus

  on pressing on and persevering in ministry:
  

  • the devil and God, passion and vision, lies and truth
  • my Anchor
  • learning to run without fear
  • Letter 9 on assurance and fighting for joy in contending for the Gospel
  • Thank you, Lord Jesus, for . . . (Letter 30 on assurance & fighting for joy)
  • why deerlife? (we are separated on the wall, far from one another - Nehemiah 4)

  on the ministry of the Holy Spirit:

  • trusting the eagles' wings (reliance on the Holy Spirit)
  • Why not pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

  on discerning & battling false gospels

  • Combatting the creepy guys (Sola Scriptura + priesthood of believers)
  • Forgive us for allowing natural brute beasts in our midst!
  • 492 years later: You say you want a reformation? (my theses and a call to prayer)
  • the most diligent prelate and preacher
  • the weapons of our warfare: positive exposition of Scripture (ML-J)
  • postcards from England: we're never to give way to false gospels
  • are you asking for a king and returning to bondage?
  • Instead of legalism . . . CHRIST!

  my other posts on Nehemiah

  Scripture quotations unless otherwise indicated are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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